It’s that glorious time of the school year when all the glue sticks are unbroken and the baskets of ungraded papers are empty.
We are refreshed. We are ready.
The sense of possibility that infuses the first days of the school year—I beg you to please hold onto it.
We know it’s hard to maintain the enthusiasm of the early days of a school year. The challenges of public education are immense and unabated, and let’s be real: They. Wear. You. Down. But we need your first-day energy and we need your back-to-school passion—because we have a lot of work to do this year.
Today, we take our place on the frontlines of our profession, where it is our moral obligation to fight to reclaim public education as a common good, to do everything within our power to help transform public education into a racially and socially just and equitable system that prepares every student—every single student—to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.
We are working to address inequities, not just in education, but also in health care and economic systems, housing and policing systems, that have compounded for years, especially impacting our most marginalized students and communities.
Is this easy work? No, it is not.
It’s hard. It also is necessary.
One of my requests to the new secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, was to ensure that educators—and the unions that represent them—have a voice at his table and are genuine partners in decision-making. And he has honored that request. In fact, his guidance to state and local officials
about the billions of dollars in the American Rescue Plan says state and local agencies “must engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders,” including educators and their union.
In this partnership, we have new opportunities. We have a president who stands with educators, unions, students and families, and who is devoted
to racial and social justice. We have a chance to make significant strides forward for all students—Black, White, brown, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ students, those with disabilities, those living in underserved communities—all of them.
These kinds of partnerships and a commitment to collaboration must exist in schools and neighborhoods everywhere. So I need you—I need every NEA member—to take your rightful place as leaders, as proud professionals, courageous racial and social justice activists, and strong unionists. Together, our engagement and advocacy will transform our vision into reality.
Last year, you endured an experience like none before. It was awful, but we learned a lot about our strength and resolve. Together, we secured billions of dollars in federal funds for schools. Together, we fed our students, taught our students, and fought to keep them safe. And now, as we prepare for a new school year, remember this—today and tomorrow: You are powerful.
You are creative.
You are committed.
You are resilient and brilliant. It is a glorious time, indeed.
